Column: College hall honors Winter

In his 15 seasons as head coach at Kansas State, Tex Winter won eight conference championships and went to two Final Fours before winning 10 championship rings on the NBA level with the Bulls and Lakers.

Toasts were made Wednesday by former Kansas State basketball players with one directive:

Make it a triple.

Tex Winter, the coach who innovated the triangle offense and guided the Wildcats to Final Four appearances in 1958 and '64, was announced as an inductee into the 2010 class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

"Hallelujah," hailed Ernie Barrett, the retired former K-State athletic director who both played and coached under Winter.

"He's so deserving of this reward. He's been a tremendous influence for basketball in this country. What a great coach he is, and more than anything else, what a great person."

Winter, who coached the Wildcats for 15 seasons (1953-68), won eight Big Eight titles and was the national coach of the year in 1959 when K-State was ranked No. 1 for several weeks. His 262 wins are the second-most in K-State history. He also coached collegiately at Marquette, Washington, Northwestern and Long Beach State.

"Tex was one of the finest coaches I ever played for," said former All-American Bob Boozer, who went on to play in the Olympics and the NBA. "He was innovative, and also a perfect gentleman and perfect diplomat for basketball.

"He never raised his voice around us, but we had some horses at K-State then. We were tickled to death to help (Wilt) Chamberlain go to the pros and leave KU."

Boozer, who lives in his hometown of Omaha, Neb., was scheduled to visit KU on a recruiting trip. But after learning Chamberlain was to join the Jayhawks, Boozer opted to play for Winter at K-State.

"That triple-post offense was perfect for us," he said. "We were big, but we ran too. We got along so well, any motivation on the part of Tex wasn't needed."

Winter was the first full-time basketball assistant to serve at K-State, working under Jack Gardner. He left for Marquette, a team he coached to the National Catholic Championship in 1951, then returned to guide the Wildcats after Gardner went to Utah.

The first two K-State teams Winter directed, however, both finished 11-10.

Signs were planted throughout Manhattan reading, "Spring is here; Winter must go."

"Then we won the conference in 1956 when I was a sophomore and beat KU over there in Phog Allen's last (home) game as coach," remembered Jack Parr, another All-American.

The triple-post offense was something Winter learned playing for Sam Barry at Southern Cal. The concept was then modified and perfected by Winter, who made the 1958 K-State team his prize model. His '59 squad then claimed the first Big Eight title by going undefeated in conference play.

"He always told us our '58 team ran the offense better than anyone ever has," Parr said. "That team was one of talented players and pretty bright guys. Tex was such an extraordinary individual, the relationship we had was one of great respect. I don't remember extraordinary pep talks, but instead a lot of exchange between him and the players on strategy."

Many years later the unassuming Winter tutored all-time NBA greats on the nuances of the offense.

He served as an assistant under Phil Jackson on six NBA championships teams with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and four with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers before finally retiring.

Whenever Winter reunited with his K-State players, he'd sometimes bring his championship rings, which he carried inconspicuously in a brown paper bag.

"He's the most self-effacing person I've ever met," Parr said.

When former K-State players were back in Manhattan last April, Winter, 88, suffered a stroke. He continues to reside in his Oregon home.

In addition to his selection to the college basketball hall, Winter is a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for the seventh time.

Over the years, Barrett has lobbied long and loud for Winter's deserved enshrinement. The passionate appeals Barrett delivers are based on achievement, longevity and contribution.

One of Barrett's most treasured keepsakes, which he once displayed in the offices he occupied at Kansas State, came from Winter.

"To my first recruit," read the inscription on a basketball Tex signed. The two Wellington natives — Barrett from Kansas and Winter from, yes, Texas — maintained a life-long friendship.

"His philosophy is the greatest there's ever been in the game of basketball," Barrett stated. "He really worked with big guys to make a rotation-type offense, but it really involved every player, which Tex thought was most important."